This note explains what all the k5jb* stuff is about.  The k29 release
of the KA9Q NET doesn't have any major changes.  Bugs that were fixed
were obscure and probably nobody knew about them but me.  I did rework
the documentation to make some things clearer so I do recommend getting
the current documentation tar.Z.  I had one request for sample startup
files so I carelessly threw a set together.  You don't have to keep any
of your old k28 or earlier files because this kit is complete for Unix
systems.  BM is unchanged with this release.

                   k5jb.k29.txt (and preface in unix.note)

Version k29 of the K5JB NET kit is a complete set of Unix and Coherent source 
code files for the KA9Q NET (pre NOS TCP/IP).  It is NOT necessary to get 
version k28, or earlier, source files to have a complete kit, but it IS 
necessary to get k5jb.bm.tar.Z to have a coordinated version of the mailer, 
BM.  Thus, a complete k29 kit consists of:

k5jb.k29.txt   -- This file
k5jb.k29.tar.Z -- Source code for Unix KA9Q NET
k5jb.dock29.tar.Z -- Complete user documentation for same.
k5jb.bm.tar.Z  -- Source code for BM, the mailer.  Unchanged.
k5jb.samp.tar.Z -- Optional, Sample startup files for beginners.

(These files on ucsd.edu are either in /hamradio/packet/tcpip/incoming, or in 
/hamradio/packet/tcpip/k5jb.)

                        Brief description of Unix NET

NET is designed as an MS-DOS application, so does not make full use of Unix's 
multi-tasking ability but runs quite well in Unix.  You can use it in a Unix 
windowing environment (or in shell layers) but you must prevent blocking on 
input if you make the window session inactive.  See the doc on how to do 
this.  Also, a casual user shouldn't shell out of NET for an extended period 
of time, as NET suspends operation during shell escapes.  If you operate a 
heavily used machine, use your system's background methods and switch to 
another terminal session to do other things.

If you are unfamiliar with NET (the TCP/IP suite, written by Phil Karn, KA9Q, 
and preceding his current project, NOS), you need to break out the files in 
k5jb.dock29.tar.Z and browse them.  k5jb.k29.tar.Z contains a file, source.
note, which has modification information, and unix.note that is specific
to Unix setup.

                          Brief description of kit

More detail on files contained in this set:

k5jb.k29.tar.Z
Contains files needed to compile NET under various System V, Release 3 
versions of Unix (I use AT&T) and under Coherent, version 4.0.1.  This file 
also contains source.note, a collection of revision notes, and unix.note for 
information specific to Unix and Coherent that I not yet included in the main 
documentation.  (This .txt file is also the preface to unix.note.) W5GFE 
compiled NET and BM under SCO Unix (80386) Sys V, release 3, both with the 
native compiler and with GNU.  Others report compiling it under various 
versions of Unix, but were not specific on versions used.

k5jb.bm.tar.Z
Contains source for Bdale's Mailer (BM).  Works with same environmental 
variables as K5JB version of NET.  Has been sanitized to prevent memory 
violations.

k5jb.dock29.tar.Z
Contains NET and BM user's documentation.  Targeted for MS-DOS users, but 
contains essential Unix information.

k5jb.samp.tar.Z
Contains a rough set of sample configuration files for setup.  I didn't
make any particular effort to cover all instances so you must look at
chapter0 and decide if you want to go on from there.

(The following footnote was added to the k5jb.k28.txt and that file was
sent to ucsd.edu after the tar was uploaded.  I made the change and made
a new tar but did not reload it to ucsd.edu.  sys/fcntl.h is missing in
only the latest versions of Coherent.  As a policy, I will not be making
changes to my files that would cause them to no longer work with the
first version of Coherent 4 that I received, thus preventing portability
problems.  You can do anything you want with your copy.)

(Footnote)  Since I uploaded k5jb.k28.tar.Z, two possible problems for
Coherent users were reported to me.  In the file, telunix.c, the line,
#include <sys/fcntl.h> may need to be changed to #include <fcntl.h>.
The other possible problem is related to the use of the quit signal to
prepare NET for background operation under shl, the shell layer manager.
If you see a message to the effect that keyboard input is ignored...
use a Ctrl-\ to toggle the condition.  A quit signal sent to a process
from another active window may have been also received by NET.  (I
couldn't easily duplicate this.)

While we are adding afterthoughts, I want to remind you that files from
this suite are used to make executables for MS-DOS computers which use
the IBM PC bus so some modules relate to accessory cards for that machine.
Defining compiler directives like DRSI, or PC_EC, will cause your compile
to fail.

Also, globally defining things like "NOTUSED" or "LATER" will have unpre-
dictible consequences.

Coherent users have no need to use the Ctrl-\ (quit) switch on NET if
they are using virtual terminals.  NET runs fine when its window is not
active.  In fact, using the quit signal removes one of the two places
where the CPU is released to do other tasks.  If you start NET with no
serial ports attached (like if you have no startup.net file), and issue
a quit signal to ignore keyboard input, NET will become a CPU hog,
consuming an enormous amount of the machine's resources.

(End of k5jb.k29.txt)
